Photo c/o Jinnifer Douglass
La Perla Nascosta means “the hidden pearl” in Italian, and a year after opening, the name still fits a little too well. Plenty of Upper West Siders have walked right past it without stepping inside. That’s a shame, because the man running the place has a longer history with the dining room than just about anyone.
The restaurant sits at 206 West 79th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, in the former home of Coppola’s. Owner Florin Vardari worked at Coppola’s as both a server and a manager. Now the dining room is his, and he’s very much hands-on: reviewers have mentioned him waiting on tables and making the drinks himself.
It’s a warm, low-lit room, with candles on every table, wine bottles racked along the walls, vintage Italian posters and a brick-lined counter at the back. It works just as well for a date night as for a long dinner with friends.
Photo c/o Jinnifer Douglass
The neighbors who have found it seem to agree. La Perla Nascosta has a 4.8-star average across more than 160 Google reviews, and no dish comes up more often than the chicken parm ($29, or $33 with veal). It’s lightly breaded, topped with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella, and served with spaghetti. The eggplant parm ($27) is a close runner-up.
Eggplant Parmigiana. Photo c/o Jinnifer Douglass
Pasta is the other big draw. The penne alla vodka ($23) is a regular favorite, along with the mushroom ravioli in a brandy cream sauce finished with truffle oil ($27). The lasagna ($27) is layered with Bolognese, ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan.
Lasagna. Photo c/o Jinnifer Douglass
Linguine Frutti di Mare. Photo c/o Jinnifer Douglass
To start, there’s fried calamari with marinara ($20), a Caesar salad ($16) and baked artichokes ($18). The artichokes arrive in a cast-iron skillet with garlic, olives, bread crumbs and a round of warm goat cheese. Save room for dessert, too, since the ricotta cheesecake ($10) has its own fans.
Baked Artichokes. Photo c/o Jinnifer Douglass
For something bigger, the lamb shank ($39) is slowly cooked in a mushroom Madeira wine sauce and served over four-cheese risotto. The black linguine aragosta ($45) is topped with a lobster tail, shrimp, clams and crab meat in vodka sauce.
Lamb Shank. Photo c/o Jinnifer Douglass
Black Linguine Aragosta. Photo c/o Jinnifer Douglass
The cocktail list mixes classics with house creations like the Fumo di Perla, made with mezcal, Amaro Montenegro, Italicus, lemon and honey. There’s also an espresso martini made with vanilla vodka and Kahlúa. Mondays are the night to try them: every cocktail is 50% off, all night long.
Espresso Martini. Photo c/o Jinnifer Douglass
Happy hour runs Sunday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. It brings $10 cocktails and spritzes, $9 glasses of wine and $5 beers, plus food deals like fried calamari ($12), Margherita pizza ($14) and penne alla vodka ($14).
On weekends, brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with banana bread French toast, a Nutella pizza, a chicken parm hero and the pasta favorites. The bottomless brunch is $45 for 90 minutes of unlimited drinks, like mimosas, Bellinis and the Tropical Fizz, plus an entrée.
La Perla Nascosta is open Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. You can book a table on Resy or call (212) 224-9667. The full menus are on the restaurant’s website, and you can follow along on Instagram.
